Stamford boy is Frank about his Kung Fu success

Twelve-year old Adrian Frank of Stamford is headed for the Kung Fu world championships later this fall in Crete, Greece.

Photo by Matthew Vinci

Twelve-year old Adrian Frank of Stamford is headed for the Kung Fu world championships later this fall in Crete, Greece.

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Photo by Matthew Vinci

Twelve-year old Adrian Frank of Stamford is headed for the Kung Fu world championships later this fall in Crete, Greece.

Photo by Matthew Vinci

Twelve-year old Adrian Frank of Stamford is headed for the Kung Fu world championships later this fall in Crete, Greece.

Stamford boy is Frank about his Kung Fu success

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STAMFORD -- While sitting on his couch, Adrian Frank does not look like a Martial Arts champion.

But, then again, there should be no preconceived notion about what a champion in Kung Fu should look like at this time.

The Chinese invented the form of training centuries ago and it has only come into most people's lives through television or movies. In Adrian's life, it is so much more, however, because what he took up as a 2-year-old has now, 10 years later, put him on a world-wide stage.

Soon, it will take him to Greece where he will compete against the best in his age group at the Kung Fu World Championships.

The life of any young Martial Arts champion does not differ from what most kids go through while training and going to competitions.

There are the friendships which are formed through workouts and then turn into friendly rivalries when the tournaments begin.

The families that travel together forge bonds which last for years.

In fact, when Adrian started talking about beating his best friend for his first world title he sounded like a kid from North Stamford talking about striking out a friend in a Little League game.

But Martial Arts is a different world. It is more than just a sport to those who compete and that comes across in the excitement in Adrian's voice as he talks about Kung Fu.

"Karate is Japanese, Kung Fu is Chinese," Adrian said when asked about the difference between the two. "The difference between Karate and Kung Fu is that instead of a one-punch knockout we can have multiple punches or one-punch. And, instead of deep motions, we jump up and fly."

And flying is what the Stamford resident has done since taking up the discipline.

Adrian got involved in Kung Fu at the suggestion of a neighbor when the family still lived in Weehawken, N.J. He enjoyed the training, but it took on more importance when he achieved Black Belt status at only 8 years old, which made him the youngest ever at his training center, Edgewater Kung Fu in Edgewater, N.J. -- where he still trains.

The center's Website lists the different ways the training will affect a person's life, including enhancing fitness, personal confidence and coordination, plus the discipline will show great effects in academic achievement along with learning effective self-defense through training.

The master -- or sifu -- who trains Adrian is Karl Romain. Adrian gave him a lot of the credit for his advancement. He said that Romain helped him pursue his two black belts and instilled in him the confidence to compete in tournaments.

Adrian's father, Ronald, is happy with how the school approaches the world of tournament competition.

Unlike other training centers, Edgwater Kung Fu does not use the students' achievements as a sort of advertisement. It does not fill its halls with pictures of past students holding trophies or medals. Instead, it keeps to the traditions of Kung Fu and focuses on training its students to respect the form rather than get caught up in the pursuit for competition glory.

"The school does a really good job," said Ronald Frank. "And that's why we stayed because the travel can be a problem sometimes."

Even though Adrian impressed his teachers with his advancement, the subject of tournaments did not really come up until last year.

He became a part of the United States team and came in fourth in his first competition in Rhode Island.

Adrian intensified his training and the next time out he won the gold medal in soft-style at the Kung Fu World Championship.

"He told me that he had to pack two outfits one for the first day and another for the second day after he wins," said Ronald Frank with a laugh. "I asked him what made him think he would win, but as it turned out he did very well."

The competition consisted of a combination of 50 moves, which Adrian had to go through in a routine which was judged by a panel of experts.

He said it took determination to go through those moves in class until you had the confidence to repeat them in the tournament.

"I beat my best friend, which is kind of sad," said Adrian. "I didn't expect to be in first place. I thought I would be fourth and maybe third. Usually, in my class, I'm a deep under dog to my friend."

Adrian has had continued success through three tournaments this year and has his eye on another world championship this year.

That tournament takes place in Crete, Greece, next month.

There will be athletes between the ages of 12 to 14 competing in his division so he will be one of the youngest which will add to the challenge.

"It excites me because more countries will be competing than last year," said Adrian. "There were 30 nations last year, but now there are going to be about 90. It gets me excited and nervous because with more people there is more pressure."

Adrian and his family moved to Stamford in 2007. He attends the German School New York in White Plains, N.Y. It is a European curriculum according to Adrian.

He enjoys football and basketball along with his training. He also helps his 8-year-old brother, Sebastian, who is following him in Kung Fu.

Adrian would like to attend Harvard and hopes someday that Kung Fu would become an Olympic sport.

The family is looking into possible sponsorships for the trip to Greece.

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